CHAPDISC: PS/SS 1, The Boy Who Lived

[dumbledore11214]

No: HPFGUIDX 187682

Zara:
He did not confide all at the time of the scene I mentioned (right after the
Potters died), but we should also keep in mind that "all" was a lot less back
then, than it was by the time of HBP. It is my understanding, for example, that
Albus only got the idea of hunting Horcruxes after CoS. <SNIP>

Alla:

I do want to agree with this, I do. Do you think the line about scars coming handy was just a throwaway line? I mean I can see a possibility, sure, I always try to give JKR benefit of the doubt that a lot of the story was thought out in advance, but really she could not even be sure that the first book will sell, maybe she did not even think about Harry scar being a horcrux in the first book.

Having said it, I think that this is a main storyline (Harry Voldemort story) and I still think that at least main storyline was thought out in advance.

Oh wait, wait, wait, maybe I misunderstood you? Are you just saying that Dumbledore thought that the destruction of horcruxes is possible only after CoS? Do you think that DD knew that Harry had a horcrux in him right away?

Zara:
And he only got the idea
for how to remove the soul bit form Harry at the end of GoF (because that idea
would not have worked before Voldemort took Harry's blood). But he did confide
to Snape that Voldemort would be back and Harry would be in danger from him.

Alla:

Really want to agree with it too 

Zara:
I think Albus considered the Horcrux secret so dangerous he did not want to
confide it to *anyone*, and planned to eliminate them himself. <SNIP>

Alla:

On this you get no argument from me lol.

Jlyon:
Why does Bumbles seem surprised to see McG? Why was McG there unless
Bumbles told her? Why is McG always such a Bumble sycophant, even
knowing how bad the Dursleys are? Why does McG not question Bumble's
kidnapping of Harry and dropping him off on a doorstep at midnight in
November? Why doesn't McG ask if Pomphrey has examined Harry? Why
does Sirius actually bow down to Bumbles and let Hagrid take him? Why
doesn't anyone show Harry any compassion rather than simply kissing
and licking Bumble's bony little ass?

Alla:

When I read this chapter for the first time ever(and please please do not think that I am putting down your reading, for the most part I do share your thoughts about Dumbledore, I do not go that far, but I am there pretty much)  it was with the feeling of childlike delight and wonder. You know, a wizard and a cat leaving a boy for the new life after losing his parents, while there are wizards everywhere interacting with our world of normalcy, Dursley's world too.

Again, do not get me wrong, for me this reading is gone forever. All I can think when I read this chapter is Harry's "she never loved me" to Dumbledore in their talk in OOP. And when I read Dumbledore's arrogant this is a best place for him, I want him to suffer long and painful punishment.

But I think that JKR wanted to show magic coming to us and living among us if that makes sense. I wish I could get this reading back, because this is how I felt when I first read this chapter, funnily, maybe because this was the beginning I do remember my first reaction.

Jlyon:
Of course, almost all "Merlin-
like" characters seem to do the stupidest things and get innocents
involved in things they need not.

Alla:

Well, no, not all of them thank goodness! There is always general Iroh from Avatar, who teaches instead of manipulates and just loves the child for himself instead of thinking of him as a puppet (of course Zuko is not a chosen one, but he is very important and I can't count how many times I thought that Dumbledore should have taken lessons from Iroh of what it means to be loving mentor).

However I do agree with you that a lot of Merlin like characters do stuff like this and maybe this is all there is to it. I guess I did expect Dumbledore to be a little bit different in this regard. And gasp, maybe even not die. 
I do give JKR credit though for is a really good writer and I thought that she portrayed Dumbledore very very consistently,  IMO as a man who has in mind only one goal (good goal of course), who thinks that everybody else around them is sheep and he, only he knows better, as a man who thinks that his intellectual brilliance allows him to decide the fates of those around him.

And then this man finds himself to be charmed by a boy, whom he plans to sacrifice for slaughter. 

I guess I always wanted Dumbledore to be more like Iroh, even before I saw the Avatar last year. Oh well.